Prince Charles will walk Meghan Markle down the aisle when she marries his son Prince Harry — a gesture of welcome to the American actress as she joins the royal family.

Kensington Palace said Friday that Markle asked the heir to the British throne to offer a supporting elbow Saturday at the wedding in St. George's Chapel in Windsor once Markle's father was unable to attend after falling ill.

It has created problems not only when Prince Charles and Princess Diana ended their marriage in the most bitter fashion in 1996 but also when other royals — Princess Margaret — fell in love with people who had been divorced and could not marry them for that reason.

The British monarch also serves as Supreme Governor of the Church of England, a post that has never been held by